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Mike, Thankyou for this kind words and I will make sure I get some photos of the display next weekend at the Battery Museum. Richard

Top tip from Tracie, Just ordered one for my upcoming display later this month in the UK. thanks??

JD, I am away from home at the moment, but I'll get back to you after the weekend with the details. The cash from the sale of these is going to purchase display stands, another manikin to display the US Thompson pouches etc. All for my upcoming 'show and tell' at the Blyth Battery Museum later this month, so it'll look a lot more professional than the last ad hoc unprepared display. Doing my bit to keep the Thompson history alive. ? Have a good weekend.

Here you go...

Colt 8946 has a colorful history and over a page of history in Gordons book.

Tracie, Your display is a hard act to follow, it is excellent.

It is mentioned in the topic above http://www.sturmgewehr.com/dalbert/MGBoards/Mags/Maguire Era XX Patent Date 20-24_Web.JPG You could also invest in Roger Herbst book, 'Thompson Submachine Gun magazines 2917-2021', which explains all you need to know about all the Thompson magazines that were produced.

Thanks Karl. Looked on line they all look slightly different from the one I found. Screw tops, rather than smooth top for a cork and writing in the glass, mine does not have any. Guess there has been a few versions made over the years.

I am curious of the origin/ history of the Tommy gun bottles. Does anyone know who made them and when?

Excellent issue, I enjoyed reading it, thanks to Tom, who forwarded me a copy ??

Just found a Tommy gun bottle, unfortunately already empty ? But it is a start to my project.

Tom, Thanks for that input and I agree everything moves very quickly when you are in the middle of a war, priorities certainly change.

??

Like this one... 6 shot glasses too!

Oops and 616...went to GG Rorke 636 & 686 went to P.J. Gentry, another IRA gun runner.

WCG, Looks like yours may have been one of the Thompsons discovered on the SS Eastside back in June 1921, as I believe my example was too. My receiver could be 524, 584 or 594, the later appears to be the most probable, and the trigger frame appears to be 842. All four numbers were shipped via Gordon George Rorke according to Gordon Herigstads book. As were 606, 646, 666, 676 and 696.

Ross, Thank you for that confirmation, much appreciated ??

I may be wrong, but I think all those grips were made in the USA and just modified in India/ Burma by British, Indian and commonwealth forces for the conditions over there. All of the grips I have seen in the UK, which are checkered, including the two on Thompsons in my collection, were made in the USA by the usual AOC contractors. So, again IMHO, they may have been discovered and shipped from India where they had been in long term storage. Like the stocks of Thompsons found in Russia and the Ukraine. They were all made in the USA, but could be advertised as 'soviet lend lease gun parts'

The next display at the Blyth Battery Museum is official now. This time I am better prepared, thanks to the help from some fellow TATA and Forum members in the USA. You know who you are ?? As well as the two display stands for the TSMGs with drums fitted, I have a few display stands for the Tom Davis Books and one for the loaded drum display. Also been making some crude, but effective, display stands to support some TSMGs fitted with XX mags for support. Made a few extra, to hold a few 'pride of place' 30 rnd mags too, ?? again for those who helped with those. For webbing display with relevant magazines, I also got myself a torso manikin on eBay. Looking for another to display the US pouches for the XX & 30 rnd mags now. If a job is worth doing they say.... My contribution to, quoting David Albert, keeping the Thompson history alive. With Tracies permission, we are using the TATA logo for this display, so I guess this will be the first TATA event in the UK.

Tom, Love your sense of humour. ??

Nice pictures. To my knowledge only the Thompsons that were used by British and Commonwealth countries had their foregrips checkered like this. I read that was usually found on weapons used in the Far East / Burma campaign.

Nice idea, not mine, for a desk lamp.

"The original number was brutally defaced with a chisel", similar to this one?

One of the SAT Pamplets from June 1944 and the Lewis gun Mechanism made easy have been sold. The two remaining SAT Pamphlets from 1944, are pictured below. The also have an appendix on the M1, and on fitting a spotlight projector to the M1, with images.

I'd say 'small world', but then again, there are not many reputable dealers in the UK, and not so many serious collectors.?